sorry fans of coated bullets

[Smoke4320]

I have had fords, chevys, dodges, jeeps, toyotas, triumphs, MGs, Kia's
and I really hate to say it but the imports (save the Lucas demons) Always held up better
My Dodge Dually did great to 100,000 then
became maintenance intensive

[Lloyd Smale]

possibly because you cant find a 15 year old Toyota up here that still has much more then the original frame left. Up here in salt country you could have made a living just fabricating wooden stake beds for them. I don't think theres one left that old that has a metal box on it. but you could probably go to the junk yard with a battery and still start many of them that were tossed. Chevs and fords in the 70s rusted bad, probably just as bad as those old Toyotas but in the 90s chev and ford improved drastically and Toyotas, well they still fell apart. Got to say that dodge allways did better then any of them in the rust department. I think the triumps Mgs and even the jeeps up here were closer to the Toyotas in rust. Not many of them lasted 10 years of our winters. Now if we talk high milage smoke i don't think your going to find a triumph or a Mg that even made a 100k let alone could brag out what it took to get it there. Typically with a mg or triumph you were looking for a rebuild by 60k. Don't know a thing about a kia. Probably never will Bottom line is ANY car or truck you get is going to need maintenance and wear parts replaced when the clock hits over a 100k. Don't care if its American, Jap or Korean. QUOTE=Smoke4320;3562848]I have had fords, chevys, dodges, jeeps, toyotas, triumphs, MGs, Kia's
and I really hate to say it but the imports (save the Lucas demons) Always held up better
My Dodge Dually did great to 100,000 then
became maintenance intensive[/QUOTE]

[Hickok]

I remember those vehicles in the 70's. You financed for 3 years and they pretty well rusted up when you had them paid for.

[Lloyd Smale]

bought a brand new chev 1/2 ton short box in 79 and made a warrantee claim on it because the front fender had a rust hole all the way through it before the one year warrantee was up!!!!!! Some wine about what trucks cost today but there about the same price with inflation and 100s fold better units. I still remember the old comercials bragging about having more 10 year old trucks on the road then the competition. Now youd have to look at at least 20 year old trucks to get any major differences in reliability in ANY of them foreign or domestic. If you bought a new truck in the 70s and got a 100k out of it you were bragging. Now if you only got a 100k out of it youd be walking in front of the showroom with a sign that said lemon! Maybe they should have particle coated that 79s front fender. It was an ugly green colar so it probably could be made to match.

[Hickok]

And burning a quart or two between a 3000 mile oil change was just normal!

[Smoke4320]

or carrying an extra set of points and condenser Plus feeler gauges

[Rick Hodges]

or carrying an extra set of points and condenser Plus feeler gauges

Feeler gauge???? You mean a matchbook?

[Smoke4320]

Had a 69 Mustang. Called it bugspray
Matches and Roaches would not last a day

[Blammer]

I need pictures to verify it's not cool looking.

Yea, I'll know it when I see it.

[Hickok]

Feeler gauge???? You mean a matchbook?

Right on Rick. Used a piece of the cellophane rapper from a cigarette pack between the points contact to "feel" when they started to open, and set the gap with matchbook flap!

Yep Smoke, points and condenser in the glove box.

I had a 65' Ford 390 that would run with the points nearly burned up, but if you touched them or tried to sand/file them down to clean them up, you were SOL. Then you had to put a new set in.

You guys ever charge up a condenser and then hand it to some goober?

[Lloyd Smale]

yup some don't quite remember the good old days were better in memory then they actually were when we lived them. Probably don't need a 350hp truck as I lived in the 70s and 80s with 200hp. But I'm not running to my dealer asking him for a 200 hp truck that lasts 80k and has a carb and points and a paint job a 12 year old could do on recycled metal and I don't think anyone in there right mind would

[Smoke4320]

Also can't remember the last time I had to pull out the timing light and distributor wrenches

[Hickok]

Also can't remember the last time I had to pull out the timing light and distributor wrenches

That's one I had completely forgot about! Fords most of the time had the distributor up front and the Chevy's back to the firewall, oh the memories!!!

And you ain't never had no laughs, until you or one of your buddies were tuning a big Holley or Quadrajet 4 barrel and the backfire took off your eye brows, mustache or pork-chop sideburns!!!

[rbuck351]

Oh yeah, the eyebrows. I kinda wish I had forgot that one. I don't miss a fuel pump you could change in 10 minutes without pulling the gas tank though or spark plugs that you could change without removing the engine. After changing out a several hundred dollar computer, $3 points don't sound quite so bad. Modern engines do run a bit better and longer though.

[Gohon]

And burning a quart or two between a 3000 mile oil change was just normal

Yeah..but bulk oil was only 10 cents a quart and as a reminder was conveniently placed by the gas pumps in bottles with pour spouts.

[dahermit]

I came here to read a discussion about powder coating...how could I have been so foolish.

[Amiaji]

This thread took a left turn a couple pages ago.

[dahermit]

This thread took a left turn a couple pages ago.

Ended up like "The View"...

[Gremlin460]

Back on track... I coat with HT, I also coat one of 5 different colours per batch of 5K. This allows me to keep easy tabs on month of pour and also of alloy mixture used.
I did not always do it this way, in the beginning it was a novelty, so all colours were used randomly. Now however the colour has become part of my regimen to keep track on what I am doing and where I am with the little pills.
Also my barrel ALWAYS comes back from the range looking almost chromed its that clean after 3-4 hundred rounds.

[BILLYBOB44]

You guys ever charge up a condenser and then hand it to some goober?

^^^Yep--Just make sure that you JUST hold on to the wire Pig-Tail ONLY....HA HA...Bill.